Leslie Russek

Biography

Leslie Russek, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, is Professor Emeritus of Physical Therapy at Clarkson University. She is an Orthopaedic Certified Specialist physical therapist with over 30 years of clinical practice experience with 25 years working with patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Her research and clinical interests include hypermobile EDS, fibromyalgia, headaches and chronic pain. Prof. Russek has presented nationally and internationally on HSD/hEDS, headaches, and chronic pain management, and she regularly presents to community members. She is currently leading the Allied Health Professionals ECHO Telementoring series for EDS in North America, co-leading the Allied Health Working Group of the International Consortium of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders, and was a member of the 2021-2022 National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee on Selected Heritable Connective Tissue Disorders and Disability. Although Prof. Russek has retired from academic teaching, she continues to treat patients and lecture to patient groups.

Education Background

Physical Therapy DPT - 2006 Simmons College
Physical Therapy B.S. - 1991 University of Vermont
Biomedical Engineering Ph.D - 1987 Johns Hopkins University
Applied Mathematics B.A. - 1983 Harvard University

Research Interests

Scholarship Interests:

• Prof. Russek’s scholarship is related to Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder/hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Her focus on translational scholarship is trying to bridge the gap between what researchers know and what information is available to clinicians and patients. For example,  She recently led an international group of researchers and clinicians to publish clinical recommendations for treatment of upper cervical instability in patients with hypermobility. She is also working on research related to treatment of hypermobility and DPT training about hypermobility.
• Clinical interests include hypermobility syndrome, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, and headaches

Publications

• Russek LN, Block NP, Byrne E, Chalela S, Chan C, Comerford M, Frost N, Hennessy S, McCarthy A, Nicholson LL, Parry J, Simmonds J, Stott PJ, Thomas L, Treleaven J, Wagner W and Hakim A (2023) Presentation and physical therapy management of upper cervical instability in patients with symptomatic generalized joint hypermobility: International expert consensus recommendations. Front. Med. 9:1072764. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.1072764/full
• Contributor to National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Selected Heritable Disorders of Connective Tissue and Disability. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26431/chapter/1
• Russek LN, “Chapter 25: Chronic Pain” in Physical Rehabilitation, O'Sullivan SB, Schmitz TJ, Fulk G. eds. Physical Rehabilitation, 7e. McGraw Hill; 2019.  Content updated online in 2022
• Madden VJ, Kamerman PR, Catley MJ, Bellan V, Russek LN, Camfferman D, et al. Variability in experimental pain studies: nuisance or opportunity? Br J Anaesth. 2021;126(2):e61-e4.
• Berryman C, Wallwork SB, Heredia-Rizo AM, Knight E, Camfferman D, Russek L, et al. Are You Listening? Facilitation of the Auditory Blink Response in People with Fibromyalgia. J Pain. 2021;22(9):1072-83.
• Russek LN, Stott P, Simmonds J. Recognizing and Effectively Managing Hypermobility-Related Conditions. Phys Ther. 2019;99(9):1189-200.